As some of you will remember from this thread, I wrecked my beloved '72 GMC 1500 Super Custom. Happened a little over a week ago. The grieving period is over and it's time to get our hands dirty. So I did a little measuring and some assessing as to how much damage has been done. The tear down will start this weekend. Frame still might be tweaked, but won't know for certain 100% until I get all the sheet metal off.

So here are some pics from the damage assessment my wife and I did. I removed the fan shroud so I could at least drive it without the fan hitting it, and had my wife follow me on a short run. Truck does go down the road straight, and there are no wobbles. But the tranny selector is all screwed up as the linkage is tweaked. So... lets dive in!

Gary

Pics #1 and #2 are of the drivers side wheels. The beads collected a lot of crap as I slid into the ditch.

Pic #1 You an see how the shifter has to go past the indicator to put it in park. Reverse is where park is now.

Pic #2 You can see the dramatic lean to the drivers side. The front bumper is actually shoved under the truck a bit and the bumper braces are tweaked pretty good. The grille and everything else on the front should be savable.

So... that's a quick down and dirty of what we have to work with. We'll know more as we do more.

During the rebuild up, I'm thinking of doing some of the stuff I've been putting off for years. Cutting the rust out of the cab, new tail gate, relocating the gas tank to the rear for better weight over the axle, new front control arms, and a flip kit for the rear leaves, etc... lol

So today I went out to lunch with the wife. After I dropped her back off at work, there is a hot rod shop located right behind her work place. So I strolled over there and talked to the owner.

We discussed the fact that my frame might be bent, and they are in the business of straightening frames on old vehicles. They actually specialize in custom rods. So they aren't doing any insurance work to stay afloat. He showed me their operation and I was quite pleased with what they have going on.

He asked when I could bring the rig in for them to look at it. I told him that the drivers side door will not stay closed so I would either have to rig it shut with rope, or put it on a flatbed.

He asked where I was located here in town, and I told him. He said he can make a trip out to my place to take a look at my truck to save me the trouble of trying to get it there. I thought that was a really cool gesture. So he and his bodywork guy are gonna swing by on Monday to have a look. Then we'll decide where we're going from there.

He also got me a line on a 1971 Chevy C10 Longbed as well.

I'd say it was a banner day to say the least. I'm pumped t get the ball rollin'.

Well... Sorry for the late update. Getting geared up for fishing season, and a lot of stuff going on. The shop owner swung by the house and took a look ath the truck. He pointed out some pretty bad spots on the frame. It is shifted to the passenger side more than an inch, and the drivers side framerail is actually twisted. The drivers side shock is compressed all the way down, and the passenger side is pretty much in the normal position. Once he pointed out the twist, it was completly noticeable. He did say that with the equipment they have at their shop, this would be quite a challenge as this is the worst frame tweak they would try to tackle. We drank a couple of beers together and discussed it, and I told him I'd let him know what I decide to do. What a cool cat.

So one of my buddies and I took the hood of last night, and now I will start the front end tear down. I will have more pics for you guys either tonight or tomorrow. I'll take some measurements and alos try to document the bent frame. Not 100% sure on where to go from here. If I want to save this frame, I will probably have to find a no kiddin' shop that does frame work. Or... find another frame, or another truck.

My wife was in tears as I told her the news when she got home from work. She is really hoping we can save this truck. I am too... but I'm keeping all my options open. She really loves the old heap, and she loves my truck as well . So I'll post more up for you fellers later on.

Removed a few things today. Bumper, grille and cowl. Bumper is junk, along with the brackets. Grille and cowl are straight. Core support is a little tweaked, but can probably be coaxed back in to shape. It will probably straighten out a little more once I unbolt the fenders.

Some car show friends of ours saw the post about my wreck on FB, and got a hold of me the other day. He found a 1969 C10 long bed frame with trailing arms! If everything goes right, I should be headed out to pick it up this weekend! Pretty stoked about that!

I wanted to also take a sec to tell all you cats that have given me some positive reinforcement and sending good vibes. It helps... all of it. I was pretty dejected and depressed about the wreck, and my first reaction was "screw it, I'm done." Without the positive support from my wife, my best friend, my parents and ALL OF YOU CATS... I would have given up. Thanks a million for keeping the fires lit!

Awesome. You can get the frame all cleaned up and ready to go before the body even goes on it.

Turns out... the guy that has the frame has a body shop he runs with his dad and uncle. So for a few more bucks he's going to degrease/prep the frame and shoot it with a primer, and then with an automotive chassis paint! It will be so nice to take stuff from my clean truck to a clean frame!

Quote:

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Awesome news on the frame! Are you on the Northwest FB page?

I don't think I am... I'll have to go double check. Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by cericd

So nice to see this one getting rebuilt. I always thought it had such a cool character to it with that particular color blue, black roof and slots. Just plain cool. Best of luck with the rebuild and glad to hear you made it through the accident all right.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmorri34

Great to hear about the frame and cant wait to see you rebuild, I hope you stay with this color, This is one of my favorite trucks on here man!!

Thanks you'se guys.. I am going to stay with the original "Medium Green" color and keeping the black top as well. It was originally White top/Medium Green body from the factory. But the Previous Owner painted the top black. It was one of the things that made me want this truck.

Oh... and here's an old guy tip for you younger cats... when tearing a rig down, get a couple boxes of Ziploc bags. I use sandwich size and quart size. Plus a Sharpie... to label EVERYTHING! Because after a project sit for weeks, months or years... you'll forget where things go. Also get some masking tape and mark all your electrical lines and vacuum hoses. You'll thank me later!

Now that the front clip is off, I can get to some areas on the frame with the camera. Also, now that the twisted sheet metal is off, some of the parts like the rad support are back in shape. I'll be able to reuse it, along with the mounts as well. I had replaced the rad support mounts back when I first rebuilt the truck 8 years ago.

Anyhoo... Here goes:

Pic #1 you can see the big tweak on the top of the frame rail with the paint peeling away.

Pic #2 you can see the paint came off where the frame tweaked right behind the power steering box.

Pic #3 you can see how the frame rail "rolled" and how the linkage for the TH350 is tweaked because of it.

Pic #4 is the young'un ('06 K2500HD) lookin' in on the old man...

The engine stands are moved (and I hope they are not bent), and the passenger side motor mount is broke. The battery tray is tweaked, I think because of the force of the heavy battery slammin' around. So it will need some re-tweaking and a few new welds to hold it all back together.

A little slow on the roll here... I got my frame about a week or more ago. Turned out exceptional! The cat did a bang up job, on the prep and paint.

With it being the summer, and camping/boating and all the other summer stuff... finding time to get to it has been hard. I don't want to rush it since I have a few things I want to do to the truck before it's back on the road.

I do need to cut the rust out of the rockers and floor and replace with patch panels. Would you cats suggest I transfer the cab to the new frame first before I tackle that? Just in case the old bent frame is wonky enough to screw up my panel alignments?

Wow... bumping a year old thread. Hard to believe it's been almost a year since the hot rod went for a ride in the ditch.

So... life happens. Busy summer last year. Getting our little house prepared all fall and winter long to try and sell very soon so we can move into a bigger place. The truck has been torn down part way and forgotten since last May. Only remembered when I have to trip around it to get to things out in my tiny garage. But... times they are a changin'.

Lots has been happening. The highs and lows of a project that came to a screeching halt (literally) and back shelved as life revolved around us. Almost selling it "as is" and taking a huge loss in the process. Twice. I have to give credit where credit is due... to my wife Angie and my best friend Matt. With those 2 keeping the fires ever so lightly lit... they kept hope where I was hopeless. They talked me away from the ledge as I had all but given up. As so many of you know the exact feeling as a project just seems overwhelming. But... I weathered the storm and am now starting back at getting this thing on the road. To do tasks I have been meaning to do, like tackle all the rust, move the gas tank under the bed, and lower the truck with a 4"/6" drop.

There is a lot of work ahead. I am still readying our house to sell as well. Then I will have to move this project to new digs in the near future. But I accept the challenge.

I have been absent from the board for quite a spell as I lost the desire for my truck. Cruising the board only made it worse for me. But that changed as well. I'm back and participating and have a new found joy in my truck and my truck friends.

Anyhoo... here it sits. Just as I left it back in May of last year. Notice the spark plugs not in their holes and the uncovered exhaust ports? Yeah... me too. Stupid thing to do over a damp PNW winter. But, it was a mistake I made out of haste and really not caring anymore. Will it cost me? We'll see. I squirted some 30wt in the holes and let it set over night. The engine turns easy by hand... so all should be okay.

So I tore off the old seat cover that has been on the seat since I bought the truck. Figured there would be houndstooth cloth panels in the original seat. But to my surprise there is a scroll pattern. Is this original?

Hey Gary, no problem. I did the same thing a while back they mailed me an envelope with fabric samples and prices. There are a few threads on the forum where people have recreated the original cover using SMS materials. Certainly not the cheapest endeavor. My biggest concern is that every one of these original cloth/vinyl seats that I have seen has had the same type of splitting wear in the cloth sections (mostly the driver's side). It makes me feel like that material is too delicate for normal use. I do dig how original it looks though. I'd actually like to find a place that repops the original base model vinyl seat but no one does.

Chris, SMS is sending me a couple of cloth patterns to see what matches up with what I have. Yesterday I found out there is a local upholstery shop here that does fantastic work. A friend of mine is restoring a 1964 Bonneville and he had this local guy reupholster his seats. Very nice work! So I'm going to check with him too to see if he has availability to the cloth as well. If not, I might just order some from SMS and then have the local guy redo the seat. Thanks again for the lead!

Quote:

Originally Posted by leftybass209

Nice to see the progress, looks like you're getting a lot accomplished. Best of luck with the house sale and the rest of the truck!

Thanks lefty! The house has been a monkey on my back for well over a year. Wrecking the truck when I did was the worst possible timing. But things are rolling along!

Quote:

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Welcome back! so the cab and bed are still on the bent frame correct? Still have that nice roller stored away. I'm glad for you that your wife and best friend talked you into not selling. Now get at it!

Thanks Rat! Yeah... the cab and bed are still on the bent frame. Hoping to get the frames switched out soon. Today I have a buddy coming over to help with getting the seat, gas tank, steering wheel and brake booster/MC off of the cab. Then this weekend I'll strip the doors off. Pulling the engine and transmission next week. Then after that I will make preparation with a few buddies to help move the cab and bed to the new frame.

I am glad they kept me thinking straight too. I was totally dejected and wanted to wash my hands of the whole deal. Boy am I glad I still have this truck!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee H

Welcome back, sometimes a break is a good.......

Thanks Lee... I got a lot accomplished in the time the truck was "forgotten". But now it's moving from the back burner to one of the side burners. After we move... it will be on the front burner.

Thanks flashed! Really looking forward to that da. But for now... baby steps.

Made some more progress today. I'm working swings so I had some time this morning to mess around. Got the seat out and the steering column out. Also removed the old crappy Kraco stereo that was in there.

I also got under the dash and started yanking a lot of dead headed wires out from who knows how many PO's before me. Anyways... I ended up carefully pulling out the intact wire harness that goes to the dealer installed cruise control from 1972. I still have all the parts from the whole unit. I am not 100% sure it even works. But I have all the parts. I am thinking about getting rid of it as it just takes up more room on the drivers side under the hood. That area is already busy enough with the alternator, power steering pump and power brake booster all located over there. So if there is an interest here I am probably willing to sell the whole get up. Not sure what it's worth but will let any interested if I decide to cut it loose.

Hey Gasoline,
Glad to see you back. I've been as bad with my truck. I didn't do any of the things I'd intended to do to my truck last summer, and now wish I had. I have piles of new stuff ready to go on her, and just never seem to have the time, or the desire to dig in and get it done. As for the cruise control, I'd probably hold onto that. It may be something you want to refurbish and re-install later. You don't see that option very often, and down the road you may say to yourself..."why the heck did I get rid of that!" Just box it up and set it aside.Good luck with your house.

Funny you mention that. My good friend Matt and I were talking about it at work last night. He said the exact same thing but added "Mark my words..." at the beginning.

So I took the harness and threw it in the box in the shed with all the other cruise control parts for a later date. Maybe even on a different truck.